Glavid Hive was the last hold out of the Imperialists on Mars. From here they had seen off countless offensives from the Mechanicum and Secessionists both. Seemingly inviolate and despite having been largely crushed on Mars the tenacity of the Imperialists, especially the Salamanders held Glavid Hive to the last.
For this scenario we had 3 different objectives, one for each faction and they earned VPs based on those objectives.
Imperialists: Hold out for extraction, Imperialist units in their Deployment Zone grant VPs
Secessionists: Take and Hold, Kill Imperialists and get Secessionists into the Imperialist Deployment Zone
Mechanicum: Total Annihilation, kill everything.
Secessionist west flank all 3 Reavers are in sight although the Secessionist Reaver 'Rusty'is on the far side of the Imperialist Reaver. Clearly a Pictographer will need a beating for that mistake.
Perturabo paced his inner sanctum at the heart of the Cavea Ferrum. The
Iron Circle stood on guard as the dim lumens cast flickering shadows.
The Trident stood before the Lord of Iron. Forrix, Falk and Kroeger
always felt uncomfortable after traversing the Cavea Ferrum. Its
maddening geometry was beyond them.
“Well my Trident, tell me your thoughts.”
“Foolishness!” barked Kroeger.
“A plain talker as always Kroeger, explain.”
“Guilliman splits our forces in 2. The Emperor’s fools have had time to prepare for us. This all reeks of poor planning.”
“Not
to mention that there is no non-aggression pact with the Mechanicum
yet. We have potential enemies on 2 fronts” mused Forrix.
“Indeed”
growled Perturabo. “We need the warriors of Mars. A fool fights a
battle on 2 fronts.” He paused and came to a decision “we will not fire
on the Mechanicum. I will see if we can forge some sort of truce from
this madness.”
“But my Lord, what if they fire on us? They
have done it before...” Falk looked to Forrix and Kroeger and could see
they shared his concerns.
“We will focus on the true enemy
here. I will not waste time fighting a potential ally. My orders stand –
defensive fire only if engaged in close combat.”
It was never
wise to question the Lord of Iron’s orders and the Trident stood in
silence, each with their own doubts about this order.
“Forrix,
you will lead the reserve force and secure my supply lines. Kroeger,
you will take command of the fleet and destroy any of the enemy that
escape us on the ground. Falk, I have a special mission for you. Yes, I
think I will be sending you to Ryza if all goes to plan.”
“My Lord, I'm a warrior and I belong on the ground in the fighting!” Falk blurted out desperately.
“You
belong where I say you belong my Triarch. Never forget that”
Perturabo’s voice was on the edge of anger. “You are a Triarch now, when
will you start thinking like one! I will take Golg with me. I need to
be there and maybe I can show the Mechanicum that there is strength if
we stand together. The Emperor’s madness must not spread or all we have
fought for will be lost.”
“Of course, my brother may be there
as well and whilst I humbled him once before, Vulkan is never down for
long. This will be no chaotic retreat of rabble. He will lead a strong
defence of those considered under his protection. Yes, I should be
there...” His voice trailed off and the silence filled the room.
“Dismissed”.
The Mechanicum Reaver 'Unicron' supported by 2 households of Knights
The Secessionist east flank, viewing the Imperialist Reaver.
Warmaster Guilliman and his command group look out onto the Imperialist position.
The Imperialists are well dug in but that is a considerable force heading their way. The Salamanders favour an proactive defence as Vulkan's Land Raider rushes to meet the Iron Warriors
The Imperialist Reaver sights up Unicron and the Knights, The Skitarii and Legio Cybernetica troops forgotten amongst their titanic allies.
The Knights of House Taranis and Legio Cybernetica advance from the north
Imperial Fists and Iron Hands face the west flank.
The Merc with a Mouth, still active over 27,500 years in the future lines up his next shot whilst Legio Cybernetica forces stream past the legs of the God Machines of Mars.
The Ancients take up a defensive line.
Vulkan and Pyroclasts launch into the Iron Warriors as Puertuabo watches on.
When the order to withdraw was recieved by
the vast Salamanders force involved in the fighting on Mars it was
largely met with disbelief. Had they not proven themselves worthy in the
the many battles so far and held firm against the enemy counter
attacks?
Many spoke of not only holding the territory they had bled
for, but launching a new offensive and pushing their enemys back further
to prove the folly of the orders.
All talk of this was silenced
however when Vulkan addressed the Legion en' mass telling them how proud
he was of his sons, and that while they had done well their brother
legions had not fared so well in the fighting.
With many of his
brothers withdrawing from Mars to safety Vulkan organised his legion
into multiple forces to undertake different missions.
Many of these
forces were sent out to rescue any civilians who wished to leave, and
also any remnants of legion and militia forces that he believed hold
true to his own ideals (or those who agreed to surrender their arms and
be taken to safety).
Those who fought them or who had undertaken the
slaughter of innocents were to be put to the flame or left to their
fates at the hands of the vast mechanicum army that was quickly retaking
the surface of mars.
The remaining forces of the Salamanders, and
any of their allies who wished to stay in the fight, were to hold their
ground until the rescue forces returned. Then they were to undertake a
fighting withdrawl back to an evacuation zone, giving the fleets time to
evacuate everyone before being evacuated themselves.
There were many
from the XVIIIth that did not survive the fighting that followed, but
given such purpose by their gene father they refused to be found wanting
and many innocent lives were spared as a result.
The evacuation was almost complete.
All
that remained was a small force of Salamanders lead by Vulkan, who was
to be the last of his legion to leave the surface of Mars, along with
the remnants of a Solar Auxilia cohort who had refused to leave their
rescuers to fight alone. Standing alongside those who yet remained from
other legions still loyal to the Imperium, watching as the armies sent
to wipe them out approach and waiting for the time to come to leave this
forsaken red dustball.
Secessionist Lightnings swoop down over the battlefeild in perfect formation.
Imperialists mover out to the outer defence ring as the Secessionists close in.
Fire Drakes advance on Unicron
Fire Drakes start taking fire from all sides.
The Ordo Reductor open fire and devastate the Imperialist positions northern defences.
A Taranis Knight takes on Rusty.
And the Reaver with no Name falls to the massed fire.
The Knight Lancer outflanks the Iron Warriors and Alpha Legion on the west flank.
Two units of Thalaxii deepstrike into the Imperialist position, and one unit is brought down as they land.
Tanks, Fighter, Knight and Titans battle above even the mighty Legionnes Astartes.
More Taranis Knights close in on Rusty.
In what is sure to be used as propaganda for the Mliitias 3 Lightning sweep over the blasted Imperialist position.
More Knights and Skitarii advance between the buildings.
In a sudden change of events the Militia under the charge of the Alpha Legion turn against the Warmaster. Even Rusty under unknown commands attacks Guilliman, who survives the onslaught!
Ratomir stood at the outskirts of what the Imperial Secondus grounds on
Mars. He had spoken in depth to the Iron Warriors prior to the battle,
and was sure he had an ally. The Warmaster had outgrown his usefulness,
and the time to discard him had come. He was sure that the Primarch of
the Iron Warriors had been convinced - the time was now. If the
Warmaster was unable to secure the allegiance with the Mechanicum, it
was time for him to step aside. Since their time on Mars began, no-one
had managed to forge a long lasting allegiance with the Mechanicum. With
the weapons they could bring to bear, it was no longer advantageous to
hold out against them. Make a deal, or leave. Nothing else was an
option.
And then, after the battle had begun, the Warmaster's
voice echoed over all channels on the Vox, loud enough for even the
Imperialists to hear, it was time to eliminate any traitorous men.
Unsure as to who had spoken to the Warmaster, The attack on Ultramar's
forces did not go according to plan. A small attack was made on the
Scions of Guilliman, but when the Iron Warriors did not contribute,
Ratomir knew he had to step up the attack. Before long, his Lightning
Squadron had begun the attack against the Scions, and the Imperial
Militia made a direct move on the Warmaster himself, combined with their
new ally of a Freeblade Knight, and even the Reaver Titan designation
"Rusty" opened fire.
But just when Ratomir thought success
despite heavy casualties, and the Mechanicum nearly stepping upon them,
the Warmaster plucked from thin air more allies. Allies enough to
destroy the remaining forces of the Alpha Legion. With a price worth
more than Ratomir thought worthy of paying, he withdrew his forces.
Using the cover of battle, Ratomir gathered his remaining forces of
Alpha Legion, Militia and the Freeblade, and left the Forgeworld, vowing
vengeance upon the Warmaster.
Vulkan and Purturabo battle it out as their warriors look on in awe.
Secessionist Reinforcements arrive as the Secessionists try to establish who is friend and who is foe.
The Knights reach the Imperialist lines.
The ruimation can be seen all round as all the armies have been utterly wrecked.
Ultimately the Imperialists took the day managing to buy enough time with their lives to secure the Imperialist evacuation from Mars. Moving to regroup back at Terra whilst the Secessionists and Martian Mechanicum continue to fight over Mars.
Perturabo sat alone. The room was silent and cold.
His jaw tensed and his fist tightened as he dwelt on the battle's outcome.
The
Imperials had made an effective withdrawal. Despite losing their
Reaver titan, they had managed to hold off the attackers and escaped
with the bulk of their forces intact.
The Mechanicum had refused to listen to reason and had not answered any request for cooperation.
Even so, the battle had been in the balance until the Alpha Legion's betrayal.
Perturabo
thought back to the conversation with Alpharius' envoy before the
battle. Ratomir had spoken of dissatisfaction with the Warmaster,
something Perturabo understood. His brother had not been seen on the
battlefields of Mars in some time but the duties of leading the
Secession had kept him occupied. Unfortunately, Perturabo had
misunderstood the Alpha Legion's intentions. He allowed himself a slight
smile at that thought. When did anyone know Alpharius' true
intentions...
He remembered the moment of treachery clearly. He
was approaching Vulkan. If his brother could be brought down again, the
Imperials would lose their nerve and the defences would crumble.
Instead, his stride had faltered as he saw the Ultramar Sicaran tank
explode. It's slayer had not been an enemy. He traced the shot in an
instant and looked to their own Reaver Titan. Could it have been a
mistake? No, the Alpha Legion was attacking Guilliman directly.
Again,
madness seemed to grip the battlefield. Perturabo momentarily lost his
focus as the assault floundered. His warriors were an extension of his
will and they had paused as the Lord of Iron had seen the attack stagger
and fail. His own terminators had failed to destroy an Iron Hands
Fellblade. Such a thing was unthinkable...
Vulkan had taken advantage of the moment and pummelled him with Dawnbringer.
Guilliman
had called for the death of the traitors and had then gone silent. The
Alpha Legion had disappeared into the fog of battle. More Marines
appeared, Raven Guard and Luna Wolves reinforced the attack but the
warriors of Mars fell on them in cold fury.
From that point the
outcome was sealed. Perturabo gave the order to withdraw. The Imperial
position was too strong now and needless resources would be lost digging
them out.
He drained his goblet of Olympian wine and considered
the future. Politics and treachery. He detested them both. Mars had made
it's intentions clear. The Alpha Legion had vanished and who knew where
they would resurface or on who's side they would fight. Sending Falk to
Ryza had been a good idea after all (even if it was for the wrong
reason). The Mechanicum would never leave the forge world in enemy
hands.
Enemy hands...
Such a thought had been
inconceivable during the Great Crusade. Humanity's conquest had seemed
unstoppable and now it lay in ruins.
Guilliman was not a perfect
leader but he was the Warmaster. Perturabo decided to see his brothers
plans succeed. The Emperor's madness needed to be stopped. Humanity's
fall lay that way, he was sure if it.
